The Penn's Grove record., 1887-04-23

rho Experience Of n P~cnnsgroyc Bog
as a Cow Bas on the Plains.

to how I lived. The first town 1 stop
ped at was Pierce, Pierce co., Neb..
the only one in the county. aud the
population being $50. Our ranch was
six miles from Pierce and very lone
some for it was about two miles from
the main road of travel. We had no
company only parties emjgraptine
West who would ct6b over night.
Not being satisfied with my home, [
concluded it could net be amy luuiier
further West so / left that place lor a
more lonely and romantic country.
The next place 1 stopped AZ our near
est ueighbor was twelve miles from us.
That was a good long distance to visit
your neighbor; but, nevertheless. lheg
did not think that very far. IT was It
good thing, in some respects, for when
you were going to have company You
could see them coming a great WAY oh
and get ready to receive lhem.
Our house was very small. three
rooms down stairs and none mp THE
family consisted of man and wife, thlee
girls, one boy, a baby, aud rouI al us
herders. The house being So small We
were compelled to sleep close for want
of room. Four Of us slept i'm a room
with 10 windows in it and when we
were III it, it was impossible To shut
the door. The other room was
their bed COM, and still there was
| another room. That was the Harlor,
| sitting room, and kitchen combined.
The fire consisted of twisted hay. The
fire box of the stove was as large as Il
boiler. When they made fires. they
Tiled this full then put a lighted match
to it. The smoke, well everything
tasted of smoke. Potatoes were always
cooked with the skins on and You are
forced to get it off the best yop can.
The way they skinned their potatoes
was by punching II hole i'm them, then
half closing the baud, the potato is
rested upon the thumb and forelinger.
BY strikil it with the other hand the
skin is lett on the fingers and the pota-
to falls through your hand on to the
plate.
We had Il cellar which is something
everybody did not nave for most of
their cellars are out doors ON four legs.
| never forgot the first meal | ate at
my new home, but | thought if they
could stomach it, 50 could L. The
IN went to the corner oil the room
and pulled a little dead pig ont from
under a table, rolled it around ON tue
dirty floor, and after cutting oifa piece
threw it IN the pan to fry. 'OL my .
dear, DEAR said l, "Must l eat that?''
Well! did eat, aud could almost eat
it raw before | left, Very seldom do
they have beef. It is nothing but pork
pork, pork. When they have a hog on
pig that is not doing well he is shot,
and scraped. If the bristles arenot all
broken off, and one OF us happens to
get some of them between our teeth
and don't like it, we spit it cut,
After the hog is cleaned eaci! fellow
takes turns setting up with the corpse
al night while it cools off to keep Che
wolves and other animals From
running away with it. They noy-
er cut il hog ap unless it IS pretty large
then they cut it in two just SO one can
drag it.
The family had only one chair
and that was il rocking CHAIR. We sat
ON boxes while we ate and used oll
fingers for we had knives but 40 forks
1t IS customary in the East TO pass
! things around The table before you help
Yourself. If you do that oul thore yon
will Get left, for / did, but 1 assure
YOU. it was not long before / learned
not to do so. They have all kinds oi
names. At a certain hotel one could
not help noticing the sign read thus
"Slide Under Hotel. Hot and cold
air in rooms, elegant cemetery ma COM
uections." As you pass into the bar
room or sitting room, yoa would see ii
large advertisement, and over the top
reads thus: "This is The u1ly house
in the city provided with a cyclone eel
lar for convenience OF guests; Iuea
loading from each room to ceilar;
onests can drop from top floor i'm quar-
ter second: no requirement as To cus-
Tune while making descent; stop al
fine slide under hotel and while guests
,f other hotels viii be mounting tine
Golden stairs. you will be scootjns down
fine fine leading 10 absolute sgtely.'
Now .he first bronco | got on Went
first rate for amile on So but when il
stunned | didn't. Ijust went on m'd
landed ON the ground and assure you
Ibid not feel like trying il over again
/ for was no expert ON lying.
Another time Iweut To town with
some nutter and eggs; butter in the bot
tam Of the basket aud the eggs on toy
The basket had "a handle by which Z
carried it on my arm. OF c1ar3e
conld NOT trot with it, so when ever
changed my basket to the other aFm
nv horse would jump and came near
ooino off seyeraltumes. TWAS getting
. Ia.e And thought if l didnt hurry /
vouldnt get back until dark, So ] says
TO Dick. that was the horses NAME
get along AVID he commenced "
/ cmpter. If you had seen me yeu mlen'
have thought | was elop'ng' 9oo"
we came to a hole dug in the road ana
| Of course my horse stopped suddenly